Wednesday, April 30, 2014

What is Catherine McKenzie reading?

I recently raced through Michael Lewis’ Flash Boys, his take on high-frequency trading and its effect on Wall Street. I’m a big fan of Lewis’, having read Liar’s Poker, Moneyball and The Big Short. I feel like he’s the Bill Bryson of financial journalism—someone who can take big, complicated ideas (like Bryson did in A Short History of Nearly Everything) and break them down into compelling, digestible (and often funny) pieces. This book was no exception, though I did find that Lewis...[read on]

While walking home from work one evening, Jeff Manning is struck by a car and killed. Not one but two women fall to pieces at the news: his wife, Claire, and his co-worker Tish. Reeling from her loss, Claire must comfort her grieving son and contend with funeral arrangements, well-meaning family members and the arrival of Jeff's estranged brother, her ex-boyfriend Tim.

With Tish's co-workers in the dark about her friendship with Jeff outside of the office, she volunteers to attend the funeral on the company's behalf, but only she knows the true risk of inserting herself into the wreckage of Jeff's life. Told through the three voices of Jeff, Tish, and Claire, Hidden explores the complexity of relationships, the repercussions of our personal choices, and the responsibilities we have to the ones we love.